


Night Hours

by misshallery



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: Guilt, Insomnia, M/M, Pre Relationship, feelings developing, thoughts going around
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:40:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29614422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misshallery/pseuds/misshallery
Summary: Where does Ares disappear to at night? Seliph would like to know.
Relationships: Aless | Ares/Celice | Seliph
Kudos: 10





	Night Hours

Seliph found solace in the lulls of his campaign, days in which the duty he carried on his back took a detour from single-minded, often bloody liberation, to steady marches for days on end. Every moment had to be spent wisely, but as long as progress was made and the army inched towards their goal, all was well. The long days of travel were hard, but everyone seemed more upbeat than when they were forced into desperate battle. Seliph never believed he played the role of a leader well, but he felt the appropriate pride and warmth as the group rode together, talking animatedly.

But there were cracks under the surface. It wasn’t clear when it had started. But one late night, Seliph was sitting outside his tent in quiet contemplation when a dark figure emerged from the trees not far away. He instinctively crouched behind cover and gripped his blade hilt and cursed his inexperience, his cowardice, his lack of mettle, as he did whenever he was caught in a fight alone. But as the figure approached and the shadows thinned, it became a familiar sight. Ares, dressed in customary dark armour with his blade strapped to his side, inexplicably returning to the camp in the middle of the night.

Seliph relaxed his stance and almost called out to him- but no, he shouldn’t. From what he had learned of Ares, he did not take expressions of friendship the same as most. To acknowledge a secretive midnight walk would be found irritating or embarassing. Well hidden by his tent’s long shadow, Seliph watched Ares return to his own in silence. Surely the pressure and stress had gotten to him, but there must be another, more appropriate way to show support than a confrontation. He could ask if his boots fitted well enough. Ask the guard patrol to make their rounds more sparsely. Or leave a lit lantern by his tent before nightfall. Yes, that would be ideal, maybe the only sort of expression Ares _would_ appreciate.

Seliph did not intend to watch Ares again the following night, but instead convinced himself that he was feeling sleepless once more and needed to spend another few hours sitting in the cool night air. Tucked in the helm of his tent to make him less visible. Looking pointedly in the direction of Ares’ tent. Just in case. At a late enough hour, Ares emerged tentatively, fully armoured once more. He took a step in the direction of the forest path only to nearly walk into a dimly lit lantern neatly placed at his feet. He stared at it in uncharacteristic puzzlement for a moment that made Seliph smile faintly to himself, before crouching to put out the light and continuing on his way without it. Where could Ares be going at night that required no light, full armour and secrecy? Seliph let the question occupy his mind among the buzzing of other worries for a few hours until, like neat clockwork, Ares returned to the camp again, his gait stiff. Seliph was beginning to wonder if an intervention was in order until he stopped short at the sight of him. The moon had grown since last night, the light exposing more of him. Dried blood swept over the plates of his armour, and his face was slick with sweat. It dawned on Seliph as he approached camp that his walk was not just stiff, but practically a limp.

He stood immediately. “Ares!” he hissed insistently. Ares twitched with recognition, but simply averted his gaze from Seliph and upped his pace.

“Ares, are you alright? Where have you _been_?” Seliph jogged behind him and managed to catch his shoulder, the contact making him spin around confrontationally.

“Enough,” he snapped. “You will not speak of this to anyone.”

“But your injury-!“

“It is absolutely nothing.” He cleared the last few feet to his tent and slipped inside, leaving Seliph alone in the night.

-

“Sir Seliph? Are you feeling... sleepy?”

“What do you mean, Julia? I’m wide awake.”

They rode with the army the next day, getting closer but still with so far to go.

“Your eyes keep closing and opening and closing and opening. Like this.” Julia fluttered her eyelashes melodramatically. “I do it all the time. But you’re not like me. Didn’t you sleep last night?”

Seliph tried to keep his eyes wide open and fixed on the road, now hyper-aware of himself. “I’ve had some difficulty lately.”

“I think, somewhere in my mind, I remember how to prepare a sleeping draught.” She looked up at him hopefully through loose strands of hair.

“I’ll be alright without, Julia. But thank you.” It wouldn’t do for a leader to show signs of exhaustion.

 _Just another one of your shortfalls_ , a voice told him in the back of his mind.

Julia lent him gentle, concerned looks as they continued to ride in silence. But he fixed his eyes on Ares, not far ahead, wondering what sort of things his mind told him.

-

A new approach the next night. One more sleepless night could be enough to resolve this. Seliph untied his cape and draped it over his knees, a makeshift blanket to keep him warm for the hours he would spend waiting for Ares to return- in his own tent.

An _underhanded_ method, but a necessary one.

He did not bring a light to supplement his surprise attack, and may have drifted in and out of light sleep in those long hours. But he was awake when Ares walked in swiftly, his breastplate already half unbuckled until he noticed Seliph and leapt a foot into the air.

“What is this, Seliph?” he demanded.

Seliph rose stiffly and stood to face him, his prepared speech fragmenting rapidly in his mind. “I understand that you carry burdens with you. We all do.”

“You cannot possibly _know_ -“

Seliph laid a hand gently on his arm, and to his surprise, it lulled him. “Ares, please listen. I cannot have you compromising your own safety. I cannot watch harm befall someone when it’s preventable.”

Seliph still expected a fierce response, but Ares seemed so tired. “Look out for your own men, Seliph. You’d be wasting your heart concerning yourself with me and my affairs.”

“It isn’t about the army, or the politics, or the war,” said Seliph. “I meant to tell you there are enough burdens for you to carry without you imposing more on yourself. I see that in you every day. Tell me where you go at night.”

A long silence passed between them. Seliph felt aware of Ares' closeness, something he'd never experienced before. From here, his usually narrowed eyes looked wide, bright and gentle in the dark, and the curves of his cheeks and jaw were altogether softer and more fragile. He wanted squeeze his shoulder, take his hand, touch light fingers to his cheek.

“Did you know my father?”

Seliph blinked uncertainly. “…Know…?”

“Did you know him, Seliph?”

“Well, yes. Yes, of course, I know of Lord Eldigan.”

Ares raised his chin. But there was no anger, only weariness. “You didn’t _know_ him. You knew _of_ him. I knew him even though I never met him. He was a warrior like I am meant to be. He must have been the ideal knight. He must have wielded this blade…” He passed his fingers over the Demon Sword. “…Better than I ever have. Because the battle is my nature, that is where I am drawn to every night. There are bandits, thieves and creatures near every camp if you know how to find them. It is the only thing I know how to do, and I'm still not skilled enough.” A harsh gust of wind hit the tent, emitting a low rumble.

“You are one of the strongest warriors I have ever seen,” said Seliph quietly. “I am grateful you fight alongside us. But being with us is important. Lord Eldigan had allies too.” Ares appeared to twitch slightly, but Seliph pushed on. “You’re safer with your comrades. Fighting alone won’t make you stronger. It takes its toll. It _has been_ taking its toll.” Seliph succumbed to himself impulsively and took both Ares’ hands in his, running fingers across their grazes and rough patches. “We fight together now, Ares. We care about you. We want you safe.”

Ares looked down at their clasped hands, his expression so difficult to read, no matter how hard Seliph tried. “We?” he asked. “Or you?”

Seliph struggled to find an answer until he noticed the slightest smile on Ares’ face. “I,” he said hesitantly. Was this true emotional vulnerability? No wonder Ares avoided it so. Every word was like trudging through thick mud, past his knees. “ Me. I care about you. I want you to be safe.”

The smile blossomed on Ares face. The expression was so strange on him, but so beautiful. It made his face look younger, more open. “Then I shall stay safe.” Before Seliph could think of what to say, Ares leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Go to sleep, Seliph.”

Ares let go of his hands and gently steered him out of the tent. “Goodnight,” he said, and slipped back inside. Seliph stood out in the night, alone again, with his hands still warm and left cheek still tingling. When he did sleep, he did so soundly.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this over two years ago and never actually published it here. Which is probably a good thing because I'm extremely rusty on all my FE lore and have no idea how to finish any of my old drafts at the moment. But we'll get there! I think this isn't the most thrilling story but I wrote it to fulfil a prompt from a requester with the same excellent taste in obscure ships as me.


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